new ect switch the one on the head next to the temp switch
the sending unit and the ect switch are from napa,
now my problem. i just did the valve cover gasket, and let the car idle, but my fans dont come on until past the halfway point, and the car only stays cool with the fans on, i dont know what to do and this is very annoying i am afraid to drive my car like this, i thought it could be since the sending unit is from napa, and not oem maybe it has to get really hot before it sends the signal has anyone ran into this problem before, I dont want to but im about to replace the heater hoses and thermostat, i dont want to if i dont have to it’s money i can use towards fixing problem
Sounds like your problem is overheating not the fans. The fans are designed to only come on at a certain temperature so that they are only running when needed. Probably what is happening is something else is causing overheating which is why your temperature gauge is going up. Check coolant level but I would try a thermostat, its probably stuck.
just drove 16 miles down the street jumped on the turnpike got off my exit and did one more lap. while i was driving the gauge stayed in the middle and slowly creeped up, when i put my foot on the brake the lights slightly dimmed and the gauge went down to normal temp, back on the gas it slowly crept up. i hit 80mph on the highway not one hiccup anything it stayed in the middle, jumped off the highway, foot on brake goes down. i just got home left the key in the on position and the fans came on like 1 minute after, i go to check the gauge and it’s 3/4 of the way hot. i turn the car back on on an the needle drops to the middle the fans turn off. Also while i was driving and it would slowly creep i would put the a/c on and it was extra cold. before i left on this 16 mile journey i bled the thermo housing and refilled the radiator double checked my fuses and rode out.
To me i think it may be something electrical because of the lights dimming, The car is running a civic battery with original terminals, could the terminals cause this problem making me think the car is getting hot when it’s really not, or could it be the cluster. I need help because i hate having this on my mind, Knowing something is wrong with my car makes me a nervous wreck please anyhelp
turn your car on,let it reach operating temperaure, pop your hood, and watch the fans, do they come on? if not, you may have to look within the circuit, first check your fuses, make sure none are blown, after that, check the relay.
if the fans do come on and the temp raises past the middle, i would change the thermostat first
make sure you’re not leaking coolant also, look around hoses, the floor, all around the engine block. when the car is cold, mke sure your radiator looks like green water only, shouldnt look chunky, or gray-ish
.
thanks issac trust me i did all that, im going to change the thermostat anyway, even though i dont think it’s the problem. So i just drove 37 miles on the highway the car ran fine all the way there very smooth but i encountered more problems, a constant chirpping from what i believe is the passenger side of the bay ABS maybe idk im about to search. It ran all the way in normal operating temp only slightly going past the middle, and returning to normal position when the brake was applied. When i reached my destination i put it in park and it was idling very high like at 2k rpm. Im suspecting maybe the idle air control valve might be dirty since coolant goes through there and it could be causing the gauge to fluctuate
the iacv won’t cause the temp gauge to fluctuate. it’s either you are overheating, or getting an inaccurate signal from the sending unit. you can measure resistance from the sending unit to see whether it is within spec. your fitv may also be sticking, causing the high idle in park. you can check it by pinching the vac line entering it when the idle is abnormally high and the car is warmed up. if the idle drops, the valve is sticking open.
so when you depress the brake and the needle on the temp gauge goes down, how fast after you hit the pedal does it drop? is it instantaneous?
oh, and it’s the fan switch that initiates operation of the fan. not the sending unit or ect sensor
when i depress the pedal it waits a moment than rops down my fans come on but im guessing they are reading the correct temp, i think it’s the sending unit from napa i bought the cheapest one a 4 dollar unit
well hold on. don’t just replace parts without knowing they’re faulty. test resistance first.
and so when you say you depress the pedal and it drops, does it seem like there is a connection between the temp gauge and the pedal? or is the temp just dropping because the engine speed is slowing?
let’s say you’re sitting at idle in park, without the brake applied. temp gauge goes up. then you apply the brake, does it drop?
Follow what is said above by welfare. I doubt very much its the sending unit since that only controls the gauge. In you first post you said the gauge was going up and then the fans come on, is that still what is happening? If so then I still say its overheating. If it is only the gauge rising and the fans do not come on, then I would suspect the sending unit. As said, test it. Also, I doubt very much that the brake is affecting your gauge, probably just the slowing engine speed.
im gonna flush it when i wake up and see what happens. these little test drives revealed more problems. Chirpping from my speedometer cable, and the idle starting to fluctuate after highway driving.
so my fans are coming on normally and the temps stay low at idle. I got new battery terminals i was like sweet, low and behold i go down the block and the needle shoots up then comes back down, i am extremely pissed right now. this is the only thing holding the car back from being perfect.